ROME: A Sea-Watch migrant rescue ship came under fire from a Libyan patrol vessel in the Mediterranean Sea, the organization said on Friday, highlighting escalating threats during recent operations.
Sea-Watch, which comes to the aid of migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean, said there were no injuries.
The volunteer organization said the attack happened overnight from Thursday to Friday, shortly after its ship, the Sea-Watch 5, had rescued 66 people.
“The so-called Libyan coast guard fired live ammunition,” it said in a statement on its website, demanding an immediate investigation and action from the European Union.
Sea-Watch said the Libyan Ubari 660 Corrubia Class patrol boat had ordered the crew via radio to turn north while the rescue operation was ongoing.
To do so would have meant aborting the rescue, it said.
“The militia then approached the ship and eventually fired live ammunition at it. The crew and those rescued were unharmed,” it added.
“After being fired upon, the crew of the Sea-Watch 5 sent out a Mayday relay and informed the relevant authorities and the German federal police.”
Sea-Watch said the number of attacks by Libyan “militia” has intensified in recent months.
On August 24, the rescue ship Ocean Viking, operated by SOS Mediterranee, was fired at. The NGO said “hundreds of bullets” were used and the attack happened after it had rescued 87 people in international waters.
Sea-Watch said the Libyan patrol boat was given to the Libyan coast guard in 2018 as part of a deal the previous year in which Rome and the EU provided financial, technical and material support to intercept migrants and return them to the north African country.
The organization’s spokeswoman, Giorgia Linardi, said the Libyan attacks were a “direct consequence” of European policies.
“It’s unacceptable that the Italian government and the EU allows criminal militia to fire on civilians,” she added.
Charities supporting migrants regularly criticize the situation in Libya, claiming that those seeking to leave are victims of discrimination, racism and violence.
NGO says Libyan patrol vessel shot at migrant rescue ship in the Med
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NGO says Libyan patrol vessel shot at migrant rescue ship in the Med
- Sea-Watch, which comes to the aid of migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean, said there were no injuries
- “The so-called Libyan coast guard fired live ammunition,” it said in a statement
Israeli FM urges Jews to move to Israel a week after Sydney attack
- “Today I call on Jews in England, Jews in France, Jews in Australia, Jews in Canada, Jews in Belgium: come to the Land of Israel! Come home!” Saar said
JERUSALEM: Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar called on Sunday for Jews in Western countries to move to Israel to escape rising antisemitism, one week after 15 were shot dead at a Jewish event in Sydney.
“Jews have the right to live in safety everywhere. But we see and fully understand what is happening, and we have a certain historical experience. Today, Jews are being hunted across the world,” Saar said at a public candle lighting marking the last day of the Jewish festival of Hanukkah.
“Today I call on Jews in England, Jews in France, Jews in Australia, Jews in Canada, Jews in Belgium: come to the Land of Israel! Come home!” Saar said at the ceremony, held with leaders of Jewish communities and organizations worldwide.
Since the outbreak of the war in Gaza, sparked by Hamas’s unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, Israeli leaders have repeatedly denounced a surge in antisemitism in Western countries and accused their governments of failing to curb it.
Australian authorities have said the December 14 attack on a Hanukkah event on Sydney’s Bondi Beach was inspired by the ideology of the Islamic State jihadist group.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged Western governments to better protect their Jewish citizens.
“I demand that Western governments do what is necessary to fight antisemitism and provide the required safety and security for Jewish communities worldwide,” Netanyahu said in a video address.
In October, Saar accused British authorities of failing to take action to curb a “toxic wave of antisemitism” following an attack outside a Manchester synagogue on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, in which two people were killed and four wounded.
According to Israel’s 1950 “Law of Return,” any Jewish person in the world is entitled to settle in Israel (a process known in Hebrew as aliyah, or “ascent“) and acquire Israeli citizenship. The law also applies to individuals who have at least one Jewish grandparent.zz
